Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-03-28
BEACH AND BEECHER.
THE LAWYER SAID TO HAVE AC-
Quilted THE PREACHER.

Some Late Developments of the Great
Trial That VIII Be Gratifying to the
Plymouth Pastors Friends-The Chief
Counsel for the Prosecution Convinced
of the Innucense of the Accused.
Gus post-mortem evidence for Beecher,
though it is not of nature to receive Judi
cal consideration, since it consists simply of
the opinion of Tiltou's chief lawyer in the
great scandal trial that the defendant was
innocent That counsel was William A.
Beach, now dead. At the time of the Tilton
suit he had lately removed to NV York
from Troy, where he had been for years a
leader at the bar; but in the metropolis he
was unknown to the general public, and was
DESTROYS of greater fame than his quiet but
lucrative business as an attorney for several
railroads gave to him. He was gifted with
singular eloquence, and he thought that he
saw in this Beecher matter the opportunity
of his life. He knew Tllton personally, and
believed in the truth of his grievance. So he
took the case with very small respect OF pc
cuniary recompense, but willing to exert
himself for glory. There is now authority
for saying that before the six months of the
| trial were over, Beach was convinced that
Beecher was guiltless of adultery with Mrs.
Tiiton
The authorities for this statement are ex
Congressman Martin ]. Townsend AMI Irv-
| ing Browne. They.say that Beach declared tc
them his firm belief in Beschers goodness
| Tow nsend is aTroy lawyer of eminence and the
| utmost prominence. Beach started in will
| full faith that TIl,on had sound case" h,
| says; but the trial was not half over before
us changed his mind l relate this without
| assuming what the truth was, but simply tC
tell how Bach regarded it," Irving Brown,
wss formerly of Troy, but now lives at AL
bany. He is q lawyer, literary writer, and
| an old friend of the deceased Beach. He
| quotes Tilton's counsel as saying to him
I'VE were pack Of bounds trying to run
| lion down. Beecher's own testimony con
| WINGED me that be was innocent of the charge
| which Tilton had made. That is not saying
that Tilton did not believe his own accuse
tions; on the contrary he did, but we were
| all mistaken"
Inquiry among the intimate frien Is OF
Beecher reveals the fact that Beach's con
ftisloH W tHis Wow was hLUhH " severn
and surmised by others The two men con
ceived a strong liking for each other in
court Beechsr liked Beach's personality,
and especially his oratory. One of the earlier
| episodes of the trial was bitter excoriatior
of the preacher by the lawyer, in which he
was likened to the guilty party in "Haw-
thornes Scarlet Letter. 1t was a ferveni
| piece of imprisoned speaking, and nobody
| listened to it with intenser attention than
Bsecher. Turning to Col. Horatio C. King
he said. to that partisan's establishment
Isn't he splendid orator.
Bach and Beecher were introduced tC
each other few days later by William NJ
| Evarts, in the courtroom, but in the pres
ence of the jury. 1t was on a day when al
ice blockade in the river prevented the ar
rival of witnesses, and an intermission wa
taken. They chatted awhile pleasantly, anC
| each told anecdotes of experience as public
speakers But Beacl's final address to thu
| jury, though a conscientious plea for his eli
| ents cause, lacked the fire of the mentioned
speech. The two men met many times after
ward, and exchanged visits.
Jews Subscribe to BeeCher's Monument
| BROOKLYN, n. Y, March 2S-At meet
| ing of prominent Hebrews Sunday in TEN
pie Israel, s2,060 were subscribed toward tn,
proposed monument to Henry Ward Beecher
| Many addresses were made, in which Mr.
| Reecher's manly stand in favor of Justice t,